It may not seem obvious, but maintaining a good grooming habit can positively impact on your health. To live a healthy life, you should start practicing good hygiene. This does not only allow you to ensure good physical health but also make you feel good about yourself. Essentially, it is an important factor for mental health.
People who don’t know how to maintain good hygiene, with disheveled hair, body odor, and bad breath, can often be discriminated against because they are seen as unkempt and unhealthy. If you’re not quite convinced yet, here are the other benefits of good grooming habits:
- It can help boost self-esteem.
- It can make lasting impressions.
- It can minimize the risk of infections.
- It can help you stand out.
- It can enhance your personality.
Now that you know how important good grooming is, it is time to learn about the best grooming practices to guide you every step of the way.
Make Sure to Bathe Regularly
Washing your body and hair regularly can help a lot in keeping some diseases away, especially those that attack the skin. Bathing can help shed off dead skin cells to reveal renewed skin underneath.
Keep in mind that the soap and shampoo you will be using must complement your skin and hair type, respectively. You may even consider soaps with natural ingredients to keep skin irritation at bay.
Remember, however, that washing your hair and skin too often can strip away their natural oils, causing dry skin and hair. If you want to avoid overly dry skin, you should opt for warm showers instead of hot. You may also want to limit the time spent on showers to under 10 minutes, unless you are doing hard manual labor or exercise.
After showering, don’t forget to moisturize your skin. This will help prevent your skin from becoming too dry and tight. Before you do that, though, you will have to find out your skin type just to make sure you choose the right moisturizing product.
Wash Your Hands Often
The importance of washing your hands cannot be stressed enough. You should do so before preparing the food or before eating. It is also advisable to wash your hands after a trip to the bathroom, as well as after sneezing, coughing, and handling the garbage.
Washing your hands can prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses. If you are out of the house, you should bring with you some alcohol-based sanitizing products or rubbing alcohol. That way, you can sanitize and clean your hands when you have to.
Be Mindful of Body Odor
Clearly, taking a bath is not enough. Sometimes, you might not be able to smell it but others can. To drive body odor away, you need the help of products that prevent the smell and sweat. Body odor often stems from the mix sweat and bacteria on your skin. To control sweat, you may use an antiperspirant. This product can reduce sweat that plugs the sweat glands on your skin.
However, if the problem still persists, you might need to use a good deodorant. This one protects against smells created by your sweat. It can also minimize the bacteria that lives on your armpit. Just make sure to let the deodorant dry when you are applying it before putting on your clothes to avoid stains.
Another odor concern is bad breath. Bacteria can thrive in your mouth so brushing your teeth regularly is the best solution. Make it a point to brush and floss after every meal or at the very least, do it twice a day. A good oral habit can reduce the accumulation of bacteria and help prevent tooth decay.
Don’t Forget to Clip Your Nails
Make sure to dedicate at least a few minutes each week to clip your nails. Your finger nails can accumulate dirt, and if left untrimmed, it will house all sorts of bacteria. Growing your nails too long can also risk piercing your skin, which can be painful. Of course, your fingernails are not the only ones you should clip. Make sure to do the same to your toe nails.
As for the tool you will be using, they often say that nail scissors are better than nail clippers as they offer better precision. Also, it is better to trim your nails with scissors after showering so that your nails will be softer and easier to cut.
Trim that Body Hair
More applicable to men, trimming excess body hair must be done regularly if you want to follow best grooming practices. Of course, you are allowed to grow your gorgeous beard, especially in the cold months of winter. But when they start to itch and grow all over the place, it is time to do something about it. This will ensure you will maintain a clean, stylish look.
When trimming your beard, you will need to use a good trimmer, scissor, or razor, whichever you are most comfortable with. There are all kinds of tools for trimming your beard, so choosing the right one is important. You may do some research just to make sure. For example, you might want to learn more about razors and how a handy straight razor may benefit you the most.
You may also want to condition your beard before trimming it, making it softer and easier to trim. There are several products in the market that will help you do just that. This includes shaving cream and conditioner. And whatever you do, always make sure to shave correctly.
Wrapping It Up
If grooming becomes a habit, it would be not so hard to maintain. Yes, it takes time and effort, but it gives a good return of investment. Not only do you look good and feel good when you maintain a well-groomed appearance, but you can also keep a lot of illnesses away. You can reduce the onslaught of bacteria and viruses, which often thrive in dirty environments.
Start your good grooming habits today by keeping these essential tips in mind.